Thank you, hermana Annita: apropos of nothing and everything, I just now finished EII. The Herschel scene blew me away: the house was empty (T and W are in Dallas for King Tut), so the howls only startled Blue the Wonderdog for a moment, as he settled at my feet.

Murat. Songwriters speak of creating the hook. The interplay of not/knot had me hooked. And as I read your other comments, this must be true! Fantastic imagery in this poem. I feel I have travelled the universe and back. Thank you.

Thank you, Michael. Funny thing about hooks: sometimes they feel like the cheap and easy - word-wise, that is: I doubt they feel that way musically, more like mantra there. Still, a hook is a hook is a hook, and I'm glad this one found me.

This is a universal thing that’s come through you here! Ever’body loved it, followed it from kings to leads. I voted for royalty and swagger at first because I’m that way. I voted for it ‘fore I became dazed at the amethyst lot of lined up cars and then I saw they were not that at all and I was at home with the flirting and the fortnights of worry done withered, the consummations of global consequence frittered, for that is what I’ve always known, which is not to say anything of consequence, but merely to condense love to a paragraph of defenselessness. And to hope that you forgive me in the morning ; )